Reminiscing in Muhlenberg's Memorial Hall

The 14 games (varsity, JV, riser divisions) were moved from Cedar Beach to Muhlenberg College.

The three courts in the auxiliary gym were used as well as the big court inside Memorial Hall.

It was the first time I've been in there in a few years and every time I go in there it takes me back to my youth in the 1960s and 70s when that was the place to be, the mecca for big boys basketball games.

Back then, you didn't have big, fancy high school gyms like Parkland, Easton, Freedom etc. have now.

You had Muhlenberg, Liberty and Pottsville and I remember a lot of big Allen-Dieruff battles at Muhlenberg where the line was long outside the place even an hour before the doors opened.

As a student manager for Dieruff in 1979, my senior year, I remember one last big night there. It was an Allen-Dieruff District 11 doubleheader. It didn't go well. But just the thrill of sitting in that big place with a packed crowd all around me was something special.

I never did get to cover a big high school playoff there as a reporter. Liberty, for sure, and later Stabler Arena and Lafayette were used before places like Parkland were built. So it was neat to get back in there again and take a nostalgic journey back to my youth.

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Dieruff grads like me like to think about the old days because things are tough in the present times for our alma mater.

The Husky varsity and JV teams lost games at SportsFest tonight and head coach Tom Stoudt is frustrated. Tommy may have his detractors, but whether you like his emotional style or not, the guy puts his heart and soul into coaching without many rewards.

It's just a very difficult situation, one that's been discussed here on Groller's Corner and elsewhere many times before. Few people really understand how tough it is, and there's little indication it's going to get much better, but Tommy will keep on trying.

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I got a t-shirt from Toomey Anderson from the Harley Davidson JamFest at West Virginia University.

Toomey wanted me to know what it's all about. He thought I dissed the event when I wrote about it on Friday morning. I wrote that Liberty's Darrun Hilliard had just gotten back from "Something called the Harley Davidson JamFest."

I didn't realize using the word "something" would cause such a stir. It upset Toomey and some others who commented online. Believe me, no disrespect was intended.

It sounds like it's a huge event. Big-time. First class.

I am content with our Stellar and SportsFest events here, but if I was working down that way, I'd love to cover the Harley Davidson event.

(Hope that gets me off the hook).

I'm going to Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Back at the basketball on Sunday.

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Current Comments

mr groller,thank you for always staying true to dieruff.i put my heart into dieruff sports as a student in the crowd.body paint for the DvsA football games.also ive never missed a game in my 4 years.however i would just like to say that you do show what a lot of people have forgotten.HUSKY PRIDE.all my friends played sports at dieruff and it hurt to seem them get nailed every week.but your one of the few who understand, dieruff isnt the school my parents went to.the students are the total opposite from then.i love dieruff but there isnt enough talent to be successful.thank you for continuing to keep dieruff a topic

Posted By: dieruff 09 | Jul 18, 2009 10:42:18 AM

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